Scaling Up Your Business: The Commercial Edge

Posted on 10/30/2023

The commercial HVAC inspection, cleaning, and restoration industry offers a plethora of benefits that extend beyond cleanliness and maintenance. As businesses worldwide prioritize the well-being of their employees, students, patients, and customers—as well as the efficiency of their operations—the significance of clean and properly functioning HVAC systems can’t be overstated. This burgeoning industry provides a unique opportunity for NADCA members to tap into a sector that is experiencing rapid growth and transformation. From improved indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency to regulatory compliance and cost savings, the advantages of entering the commercial duct cleaning and inspection field are both far-reaching and substantial. 

Honeywell’s 2023 Healthy Buildings Survey found that 74% of respondents expressed some degree of worry about their workplace’s IAQ, and 43% said they’re either very or extremely worried—a 7-point increase over 2022. The U.S. registered the largest change in extremely or very worried workers, going from 28% last year to 53% this year. In addition, 95% of U.S. respondents said their expectations for improved IAQ have increased over the last three years.

If the study tells us anything, it’s that the commercial HVAC inspection and cleaning industry is not only a sound business venture, it’s also a crucial service for the well-being of occupants in workplaces across the globe. There is no shortage of work, and there’s a lot of money to be made, but stakeholders don't necessarily know they need duct cleaning. Consider marketing your inspection services to facility managers as an entry point that can lead to larger jobs.

If you’ve attended a NADCA conference recently, you know a lot of educational sessions focus on the commercial side of the industry. That’s because the growth potential in the commercial space is immense. With indoor air quality and energy efficiency top of mind for many industries, facility managers are pulling out all the stops to promote health and wellness in occupied spaces, while also operating buildings in the most energy-efficient ways. 

For HVAC inspection, cleaning, and restoration professionals who want to grow their businesses, expanding services and entering the commercial space is a no-brainer: Bigger projects = more revenue!

 

Ready to Get Started?

Interested in exploring the commercial sector, or growing your business with larger, commercial projects? Who can you turn to? Where do you start? 

Many NADCA members currently provide commercial inspection and cleaning services, and the need can vary greatly by region, depending on the local demand and the size of the commercial sector in a given area. Yet even the smallest town has commercial businesses that can benefit from HVAC system cleaning and inspection, from hospitals, medical offices, and nursing homes, to community colleges, office buildings, and more. Following are some of our best tips for getting started.

 

EVALUATE YOUR COMMERCIAL MARKET POTENTIAL

To determine if there’s a commercial market worth getting into for your business, market research is highly recommended. This could be as simple as searching online business directories specific to your region.

  • Determine Market Size – Find potential commercial customers like hospitals, schools, higher learning institutions, office buildings, etc.
  • Find Leads – Target facility managers, mechanical contractors, industrial hygienists, building engineers, and maintenance technicians. Search municipality RFPs and bids. Build a strong referral network (especially with industrial hygienists, commercial HVAC service companies, and restoration and remediation companies).
  • Nail Down your Company’s Growth Potential – Acquiring new customers can be expensive, and entering a whole new industry is a monumental task that requires a lot of soul searching to make sure it’s the right move for your company. Ask yourself a few questions like: 
    • Do you have the skills for bigger commercial projects?
    • Do you have a strong referral network?
    • Do you have the licensing and insurance requirements in your municipality?
    • Do you have enough equipment?
    • Do you have enough manpower? 
    • Do you need to bring in more experienced duct cleaners to meet the scope of a particular project?
    • Can you get the job done properly, according to the customer’s desired timeline? 

If the goal is to get more work; make sure you can properly manage the growth, which can be gradual or drastic. Eventually, you will need more people and more equipment to service customers properly. But you don’t just need people and equipment; you need the right people and equipment. So, take the time to map out your growth plan, and don’t forget to protect and maintain a strong reputation as you grow!

TIP: Inspections and assessments are the best entry point for commercial business! They lead to the work! Do you have your Certified Ventilation Inspector (CVI) certification? Learn more here.

 

LEVERAGE YOUR TOOLKIT

Whether you’ve determined you are ready to grow a little or grow a lot, NADCA offers marketing tools you can use for promoting your services to commercial, industrial, and institutional customers. These include:

The Commercial Checklist infographic: Help facility managers make sure the job is done right.

The Facility Manager's Guide to Sick Buildings & Indoor Air Quality infographic: Help facility managers see value in HVAC inspection and cleaning.

General Specification infographic: Save engineers and architects time by introducing them to the NADCA’s General Specification for HVAC System Cleaning (it’s in the CSI 3-part format!).

Many of these tools are available for download in the Member's Only section of the NADCA website. Just login with your member credentials, hover over 'My Account' and drag down to 'Members Only Resources.'

Commercial Infographics Collage